Serge Dagueneau & Filles Loire Valley, France.
This branch of the Dagueneau family headed by father Serge is based in Saint Andelain and owns 19 hectares of old vineyards across several of the prime sites of the appellation as well as 3 hectares in the nearby appellation of Cotes de la Charite. Today the estate is run by Serge's daughter Valerie, cousin of the late Didier Dagueneau, and Serge still helps in the vineyard.
While the calcareous soil in the vineyards give the wines ample structure and the ability to age gracefully, the vineyards of Pouilly Fumé typically have more clay and depth than the poorer more chalky soils of neighbouring Sancerre. This is particularly so in the prime area of Saint Andelain where most of the family's vineyard holdings are located.
Here the wines still show clear and intense varietal Sauvignon Blanc character and the rich clay and silex soil adds texture and generosity to the palate. Whilst this does give the wines immediate appeal, with 5 to 10 years bottle age they begin to take on more weight and richness making the wines reminiscent of aged white Burgundy.
2022 Pouilly-sur-Loire La Centenaire
100% Chasselas from vines planted 1895. The fruit is picked by hand, and the vinification is in stainless steel, and it is bottled within a few months of the harvest. Restrained and racy with intriguing notes of anise and almost briny oyster shell minerality on the super sleek and delicately sculpted palate.
In the cool summer of 2021, these ancient vines only reached 11.5 percent octane, but the wine was lovely. In the much warmer summer of 2022 I anticipated that these old Chasselas vines would produce a riper wine, but here it is again tipping the scales at a svelte 11.5 percent alcohol! Readers may recall that these great old Chasselas vines are now more than one hundred and twenty years of age, and in 2022 they have produced a wine with beautiful aromatic precision in its blend of green apple, gooseberry, gentle grassy notes, wet stone minerality, lime zest and a topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with beautiful transparency down to its soil element, zesty acids and excellent balance on the long, vibrant and complex finish. Just a beautiful wine, as usual! 2023-2033. 92. John Gilman - View from the Cellar, September 2023
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